Organization XIII
is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called "Nobodies", formed when a person's body fades from existence upon losing their heart and transforming into a "Heartless". The concept of the Organization was originally introduced in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix within a bonus ending titled "Another Side, Another Story dive", where their Japanese name was translated as the "Thirteenth Order". The group was later introduced as the "Organization" in the game Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, where they serve as the main antagonists, and returns in the same role in Kingdom Hearts II. Organization XIII is prominently featured in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as characters available for play, along with a new female member named Xion. Several members, prior to becoming Nobodies, appear in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, return following their restoration in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and have returned in Kingdom Hearts III. The group was moderately well received by reviewers. Comments focused on their difficulty as adversaries and mysterious nature, which fueled expectations of future titles. Roxas specifically received press comments, focusing on his introduction in Kingdom Hearts II. Concept and creation The Organization XIII characters were created by Tetsuya Nomura, director of the series, and other members of his development staff. The concept began with Xemnas as the first member and Roxas as the last. Each of the original members' name is an anagram of their original name prior to becoming a Nobody, with the addition of the letter "X" which is revealed in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep to be derived from the χ-blade. The members are depicted to wear black, hooded coats that shield them from the corrosive effect of prolonged use of the Corridors of Darkness, portals they use to traverse various worlds. The emblem associated with the Nobodies and Organization XIII was designed to look like a splintered heart as a complement to the Heartless emblem. Nomura tried to portray the characters ambiguously, rather than explicitly good or evil. Throughout the games' development, Nomura has often left certain plot holes and relations regarding Organization XIII characters—along with the series' other characters—unexplained until the release of a sequel; feeling that games should give fans room to speculate and use their imagination. In Chain of Memories, the staff had several of the Organization's members defeated as part of the plot. While Nomura intended to have those members be fought at Olympus Coliseum in the Kingdom Hearts II, he dropped the idea due to time constraints and later applied it to Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and remakes in the form of optional "Absent Silhouette" boss fights where the player fights defeated Organization members. Since the battles were optional, the difficulty levels of the fights was increased and the Chain of Memories-exclusive characters were given previously unseen powers. After working with the first game, Nomura gained interest in including the Mushroom XIII Heartless, most of which served to yield rare items in the game. This interest continued during the development of Kingdom Hearts II, as he intended to add new variants of "Mushroom" Heartless in the game. Consequently, they are featured in the Final Mix release as the "Mushroom XIII", thirteen Heartless wearing the same black cloaks that also mimic traits of the Organization XIII members. For 358/2 Days, the developers believed the Organization and its large number of characters was a good fit for the intended multiplayer gameplay. Once the group was decided to be a central part of the gameplay, the staff felt Roxas's role as a member would be a suitable theme for the plot. Several former members appear in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, having regained their hearts following the destruction of their Heartless and Nobodies. In both the game and Kingdom Hearts III, revealed to be its true leader, Master Xehanort proceeds to create Organization XIII as it was meant to be: The Thirteen Seekers of Darkness with Xigbar and Saïx. Enlisting under false pretenses to reconstruct Roxas to fight them, Vexen uses the Replica technology to create vessels for Xehanort's time displaced incarnations while the recreated Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, Vanitas, and Xion are made into thralls like Saïx. Story ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' Ten years ago, the founding members of the Organization live in Radiant Garden as humans. Ventus encounters Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo, who work in Ansem the Wise's castle, as his guards and apprentices. He also meets Isa and Lea, two youths who have an interest in the castle. Braig serves as a co-conspirator in Master Xehanort's ruthless ambitions, acquiring his signature scars and eyepatch following a battle against Terra. He appears at the Keyblade Graveyard to assist Xehanort, occupying Aqua and Ventus's attention. By this time, Braig houses a piece of Xehanort's heart inside himself. After Terra-Xehanort is taken in by Ansem the Wise, Braig works together with him, laying the foundations for Organization XIII. Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Organization XIII was formed by a group of researchers working under Ansem the Wise, the ruler of Radiant Garden, within his castle of Hollow Bastion. The head of this group was Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort, with the others being Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo. Ansem the Wise began initiating tests about the human heart, focusing mainly on Xehanort, with the hopes of recovering his lost memories. At the urging of Ienzo, he constructed a massive laboratory under the castle. However, Ansem the Wise soon ceased his experiments, for he feared that going too deep would have grave repercussions, also noting Xehanort's apparently-superhuman abilities. However, his six apprentices, still seduced by the desire for knowledge, conducted their own dangerous experiments on countless subjects. Eventually, they discovered the beings called Heartless, those that are born from the darkness in a heart and seek others as well. Xehanort, having taken on Ansem's name and writing his findings under it, opened a door he discovered, breaking down the barriers between worlds and allowing travel between them. When a king named Mickey arrived, the six men's desire for knowledge eventually caused Xehanort to abandon his body, becoming a Heartless (though he was unusual in that he had a human form and retained his memories), with the other five soon following. Thus, the first six members of Organization XIII were born, and they banished Ansem to a Realm of Darkness. ''Kingdom Hearts'' Xemnas appears at Hollow Bastion to battle Sora, testing his abilities after just recruiting his newly created Nobody, Roxas. ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'' The neophytes, Marluxia and Larxene, try to take control of the Organization by using Sora as their puppet by manipulating his memories with Naminé's magic. The senior members assigned to Castle Oblivion, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, try to counter his plot by exploiting the powerful darkness that lays within Riku's heart. However, each group ends up being slain by heroes they sought to control, leaving Axel as the only survivor of the castle. ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'' Organization XIII slays many Heartless to finish their Kingdom Hearts, which consists of the hearts of people instead of worlds. Since Roxas and Xion are able to wield the Keyblade, they are used to achieve this goal. In the end, both leave the Organization, with Xion absorbed into Roxas, and Roxas captured by Riku. ''Kingdom Hearts II'' Only eight members (Xemnas, Axel, Demyx, Xaldin, Xigbar, Luxord, Saïx, and Roxas) of the Organization remained by the time Sora reawakens. Sora and his friends end up taking every single remaining member down, save Roxas, who became one with Sora, and Axel, who sacrificed himself so that Sora and his friends could save Kairi. In the end, Organization XIII is ultimately destroyed when Sora and Riku defeat Xemnas. ''Kingdom Hearts Re:coded'' Donald wondered aloud whether the hooded individual spotted in Data-Wonderland was a member of the Organization, although this turned out to instead be Data-Riku. ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance'' Following the Organization's defeat, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, and Lea are revived and returned to Radiant Garden. Though well aware of their past status as Nobodies and subsequent defeats by Sora and Riku, the revived apprentices appear indifferent and content with resuming their ordinary lives rather than seeking revenge. Lea searches the grounds of Radiant Garden for Braig and Isa, but they are nowhere to be found, prompting Lea to venture to other worlds to track them down. However, the threat of Organization XIII turns out to be far from over, as Sora learns through his confrontations with Young Xehanort, Xemnas, and Xigbar that the true purpose of Organization XIII was to create an Organization of thirteen different incarnations of Xehanort himself, though this plan initially failed due to the members' unforeseen independence. Under the leadership of the newly reformed Master Xehanort, the new Organization XIII is formed by Master Xehanort himself, Young Xehanort, Xemnas, Xigbar (who claims to already be "half-Xehanort"), Ansem, Saïx, and six other hooded figures. Master Xehanort almost succeeds in making Sora into the final vessel for the Organization, but Riku, Mickey, Lea, Donald, and Goofy succeed in saving Sora and driving Master Xehanort to retreat. In the game's secret ending, Yen Sid implies that Master Xehanort has successfully formed his real Organization XIII. Inner workings undergoes the naming ceremony.]] Once discovered, a humanoid Nobody is inducted into Organization when an existing member gives them their new name. These names are anagrams of the names of their original identities,[[Kingdom Hearts Ultimania|''Kingdom Hearts II'' Ultimania]], Interviewer: "Previously you said 'The members of the XIII Organization have something hidden in their names', can you reveal the answer to us now?" / Tetsuya Nomura: "Before this, I've mentioned that when their names are spelt in Roman alphabets, there will surely be an "X", right? The truth is that when the "X" is taken away, the alphabets that are left behind is an anagram of the members' real names when they were humans." Translation via Maiki. or "Others" , with the insertion of an "X" as both a symbol that they have rejected their old identities, and as a callback to the χ-blade.[[Kingdom Hearts Ultimania|''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' Ultimania]], Interviewer: "Where did the Organization’s coat and mark come from?" / Tetsuya Nomura: "One year after Birth by Sleep, Xehanort, as well as five other apprentices toss aside their hearts. Then the Nobody Xemnas was born, and the Organization which he creates take a lot of things from his memories, as a human. But as Xemnas had two people who he was, Terra and Master Xehanort, he takes from both of their memories. ... Xemnas gives Organization members names with an X in them. This has something to do with Master Xehanort’s interest in the χ-blade." Translation via Lissar. The only exception to this is the pseudo-member Xion, whose name is based on an anagram of "No.i", her ID as one of the Replicas. In the naming ritual, the name of the Nobody's "other" appears before them in translucent, iridescent light, then an "X" drops down and the letters re-arrange themselves until they form a new name. After being renamed, each member is given a uniform and a rank from I to XIII. The rank is based on seniority, and although the leader of the Organization, Xemnas, is also the rank I member, the ranks are not true measures of authority within the Organization. For example, the rank IV Vexen, a founding member of the Organization, is subordinate to the rank XI Marluxia, while the rank VII Saïx acts as Xemnas's second-in-command, right before the rank II Xigbar. Their uniform, a hooded black coat, was chosen because it was something once worn by Master Xehanort, Xemnas's primary original persona, to safeguard him from the darkness between worlds while not cutting him off from it.Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania "...the Nobody Xemnas was born, and the Organization which he creates take a lot of things from his memories as a human... The coat used by the Organization was something that Master Xehanort originally wore." It is plainly adorned with a silver zipper and seemingly decorative silver beaded pull strings for the hood that form a semi-circle in the middle. Each member wears their zippers at differing points. Underneath their coats, most of the members wear hakama-esque black pants and knee high silver trimmed boots, with the exceptions of Roxas, who wears sneakers of the same color, and Larxene and Xion, who wear a more feminized version of the boots with heels. In addition to this, they all wear lengthy black gloves. The exact contours of the coats vary from person to person. Once fully inducted, the new members are introduced to the other members at Where Nothing Gathers, the meeting chamber of the Organization deep within their home base of the Castle That Never Was. The room contains thirteen thrones, one for each member, whose height is adjustable, with Xemnas's throne being the highest.The Scenario Mysteries in "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ (Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ Ultimania, page 502), Interviewer: "During the meetings, the members of Organization XIII are sitting in chairs. Is the height of these chairs determined by things like their skills and abilities?" / Nomura: "No, the height of the chairs is not fixated, they move. That is to say, the height is up to each person. The leader, Xemnas, is always the highest and to be at the same height as him would have a pretty bad feeling, so the other members wouldn't do that." To his left are the odd-number ranked members while to his right are the even-numbered. Starting from Xemnas, clockwise, the members are Xaldin, Lexaeus, Saïx, Demyx, Marluxia, and Roxas, then Larxene, Luxord, Axel, Zexion, Vexen and Xigbar. The Organization is also represented within the Proof of Existence, a room within the castle's central tower that contains thirteen portals marked with images of each of the members' weapons. The portals lead to other rooms, presumably belonging to each member of the Organization, and the state of the portal is a mirror of its member's own state: when a member has been destroyed, their portal is rendered inactive or can even break. Members of the Organization are assigned various missions in order to hasten the completion of Kingdom Hearts. As Xemnas's second-in-command, Saïx is tasked with giving assignments to the other members. As Roxas and Xion are the only two able to harvest hearts, the other members are given other duties, such as performing reconnaissance or trying to sow seeds of darkness in order to promote good conditions for harvesting hearts. Each member is aware of their lack of emotions, and many of them pretend to have emotions. For example, Saïx battles in a seeming rage, while Larxene taunts her opponents by giggling and winking. The idea that the Nobodies lack emotions is expanded upon in the manga and novel series, which depict the members with true emotions, but explain that they are plagued by a feeling of uncertainty and emptiness due to not having hearts. The manga further displays this "plagued" feeling by showing the members engaging in tasks like jigsaw puzzles, cooking, and reading to try to fill their emptiness. Members Aside from the rank and name given to them by the Organization, each member has a unique weapon, often with a Nobody-aesthetic, as well as a title and an elemental attribute. These titles specify the role of the member, and often reference their elemental attribute or weapons as well. Most and possibly all members of the Organization also have control over a specific breed of high-ranking Nobody, although Xemnas has primary control over them should the member betray the Organization. The breeds are named after recurring Final Fantasy job classes, and mimic their Organization member's general role. Xion, the nominal fourteenth member of the Organization, is the only one without a title. Her lack of full membership is due to her status as a Replica of Roxas, meant to absorb Sora's leaking memories and eventually replace the both of them, becoming a puppet Keyblade wielder for the Organization. Theme Trivia *In Kingdom Hearts II, Sora obtains journal entries for the Castle Oblivion-based members of the Organization after obtaining the password for the DTD. In Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, he instead receives them after defeating their respective Absent Silhouette. *At least eight of the Organization members were citizens of Radiant Garden, and Sora released his heart, creating Roxas, within Hollow Bastion. Notes and references See also *Mushroom XIII Category:Kingdom Hearts characters Category:Organizations in video games Category:Video game bosses Category:Square Enix antagonists Category:Fictional secret societies Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2003